The present invention generally relates to jewelry. More particularly this invention relates to a metal earring that includes a rotatable element and a method of making the same.
Various jewelry items having rotatable elements are known in the prior art. These jewelry items are generally limited to finger rings, bracelets and pendants. The rotatable elements of prior art jewelry items generally rotate within the plane of the support for the rotatable portions of the jewelry as opposed to rotating laterally relative to the support.
Metal earrings having rotatable elements present special problems because of their close disposition to sensitive areas of the wearer's skin. While it is desirous to retain an earring having rotatable elements in close proximity to the wearer's ear, metal rotating elements can irritate the wearer's ear if permitted to rub the sensitive skin of the ear lobe. Perspiration and skin oils can also damage a rotation mechanism. Thus, important features for a metal earring having rotatable elements include means to prevent the rotating elements from striking the wearer's ear and means to protect the rotation mechanism from dirt, hair and skin oils, perspiration and the like.
Prior art jewelry items having rotatable elements are also generally constructed of separate elements which are threadedly or otherwise selectively attached to each other to form the completed jewelry item. No unitary construction for a jewelry item having rotatable elements is known to the Applicant to be disclosed in the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,864 to Hofsaess discloses a rotatable jewelry mounting that rotates laterally in an oscillating manner by means of an unbalanced magnetic assembly. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,746 to Chen a finger ring is shown having a plurality of ringlets rotatably mounted about a removable axle. These references illustrate the extent of prior art jewelry known to the Applicant having laterally rotatable elements.